Note to Editors: Rights-free audio clips of Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux commenting on the training camp in English and Afrikaans are attached.

Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux was pleased with the quality of the first SA Under-20 training camp, which concluded after four productive days of intense training in Stellenbosch on Friday.

The Junior Springbok training squad gathered on Tuesday, and they were put through their paces with a series of skills and high-tempo conditioning sessions, which set the tone for what lies ahead as they build toward the World Rugby U20 Championship in France from 30 May to 17 June.

“I am pleased with the first camp, it certainly was a productive four days,” said Roux.

“We saw exactly what we wanted to see, and I think this is a very exciting group of youngsters. The main goals were to get to know the players and their personalities, and for them to get used to our structures and the way we want to play the game, and I think we succeeded in that.”

Roux was particularly pleased about the atmosphere at first camp: “The players are excited and there is a nice vibe and energy amongst them, so hopefully we can carry that over into the next camp.”

The squad will gather in Stellenbosch on Tuesday, 6 March, for the second four-day training camp, with the last being from 27 to 30 March. This will be followed by a two-week training camp in Stellenbosch from 10 to 25 April, which will feature two matches against World Rugby U20 Championship pool opponents, Georgia.

The squad will then travel to the UK from 30 April to 12 May where they will take on Scotland, Wales and England, before completing their preparations in Stellenbosch at their U20 Championship holding camp.

The SA U20’s have been drawn in Pool C with Georgia, Ireland and France for international spectacle.